Searching for someone in northern Myanmar, and you call that earning tuition fees?

Xijing Military Airport, tarmac.

A gray-green Y-12 transport plane stood still in the cold wind, like a hibernating iron bird.

Li Changfeng stood at the bottom of the gangway, his posture upright.

The polar cold-weather suit, over which a tactical vest was worn, was laden with magazines and first-aid kits. Beneath the tactical helmet, goggles reflected the hazy sunlight. A large-caliber pistol was tucked into a holster on the outside of his thigh. A specially modified Type 95 assault rifle was slung across his back.

Like a statue that has just stepped off the battlefield, he exudes a chilling aura.

In stark contrast to him was Su Ming, who was wearing an ordinary down jacket, carrying a canvas backpack, and had a lollipop in his mouth.

It looks like they're going to Afghanistan to carry out a decapitation mission.

He looked like an ordinary college student going to a winter camp.

A head popped out of the cockpit. Pilot Lao Zhang winked at Li Changfeng; he was also Li Changfeng's old comrade-in-arms.

"Old Li, that's impressive. Even after retiring from a frontline position, you can still get this kind of work."

Old Zhang glanced at Su Ming, then at the huge plastic bag at his feet that bore the "Education Supermarket" logo and was stuffed with snacks.

He asked with a strange expression, "Are you going on a top-secret mission to the no-man's-land, or are you going to bring warmth to the children in Tibet? Should I apply to have the plane painted pink?"

Li Changfeng's face immediately darkened.

"Fly your plane!" Li Changfeng roared.

Old Zhang chuckled and winked at Su Ming: "Little brother, when we get over 'Ghost's Bane,' the air currents will shake your breakfast out. Don't come crying to your mother then."

Su Ming crunched the candy in one bite and calmly replied, "No, I didn't eat breakfast."

Old Zhang: "..."

Li Changfeng covered his face in anguish.

I'm so tired, let's just destroy it already!

He felt that ever since he met Su Ming, his glorious military career had become a collection of jokes full of errors, and he himself was the biggest joke.

"Get on the plane!" Li Changfeng roared, shoving Su Ming onto the gangway.

The plane roared to life and took off, the earth rapidly receding from view.

As Old Zhang skillfully maneuvered the plane, he glanced at the two men in the back cabin through the rearview mirror, his eyes filled with sympathy for his old comrade.

"Old Li, is the budget tight in Xishan? Can't even afford proper equipment? If you're having trouble, I can personally sponsor you two homemade shotguns. That's better than bringing a bag of snacks."

Li Changfeng felt his nitroglycerin pills were about to give way. He silently switched the safety on his rifle, then switched it back on, then switched it back on.

He was afraid he wouldn't be able to resist firing three shots in quick succession into the cockpit.

Two hours later, the plane landed at a rudimentary high-altitude military airfield.

As soon as the hatch opened, a biting wind carrying shards of ice rushed in.

Li Changfeng had already put on his oxygen mask and was breathing evenly. Su Ming, on the other hand, simply zipped up his down jacket and walked downstairs with a normal expression.

A man in a military overcoat drove up to pick them up in a dilapidated Beijing Jeep. He was Wang Tiezhu, the liaison officer of the border station.

Wang Tiezhu jumped out of the car, first gave Li Changfeng a standard military salute, then his gaze fell on Su Ming, and he stood there stunned for a long time.

A middle-aged man wearing tactical gear was using an oxygen tank.

A college student wearing a down jacket and carrying a bag of snacks.

This pair looks like a mentally challenged father and son who were trafficked.

"Just...just the two of you?" Wang Tiezhu's tone was full of doubt.

"That's enough, just carry out the mission." Li Changfeng's voice was deep but powerful, even through his mask.

Wang Tiezhu gestured with his chin toward a lone military post in the distance: "The instructor is right there. But I have to warn you, that old lady's temper is as unpredictable as the wind on the plateau. She's a notorious tyrant in our area, and she hates carrying burdens."

His eyes unconsciously glanced at Su Ming.

Su Ming looked at Wang Tiezhu seriously and asked, "The burden you're talking about, is it him?"

He pointed to Li Changfeng beside him. Due to altitude sickness, his breathing became labored, and white mist had already formed inside his mask.

Wang Tiezhu's lips twitched, and he quietly moved half a step to the side, distancing himself from this odd couple.

Li Changfeng ripped off his mask, held his breath, his face flushed red, and roared at Su Ming, "Back in the day, in the Xing'an Mountains at minus forty degrees Celsius, I could still carry eighty pounds of gear and chase rabbits! Oxygen was a tactical necessity! Tactics! You know nothing!"

After yelling, his chest heaved, and he put the mask back on, taking two deep breaths.

Li Changfeng felt that the world had gone mad.